Getting Involved

Why chapters matter

December 4, 2024

I have been a proud member of ASHI since 2014. The first thing I did when I joined ASHI was to also join the St. Louis Chapter of ASHI and start attending meetings. I joined to be listed on their website and for the local education and PR opportunities, camaraderie, and the built-in support network.

Like many chapters, the St. Louis chapter meets monthly and hosts regular speakers and roundtable discussions. I first got involved primarily to join the education committee. I had previously been involved in educating others in volunteer programs and was a contractor for many years, so I thought it was a good fit. I was soon chair of that committee. By getting involved, I could help improve the quality of my chapter’s monthly education, resulting in change for the better.

I had also observed that we had a hard time getting members who hadn’t been involved in leadership roles to volunteer, even though St. Louis ASHI is a strong chapter. The group needed younger members to participate. Like many, the chapter was facing a problem with volunteerism. Some chapters have a round-robin of the same leaders year after year, rotating roles. I ask my fellow inspectors: Why not be a part of the solution and get involved?

Why to Volunteer

This problem is not unique to ASHI. Many other associations with chapters have the same problem. Getting involved is important. When you get involved, you have a voice, an opinion, are heard, and effect change.

Whether you’re a long-time member or newer, you can offer a fresh perspective and new ideas. Without ideas and volunteers, things never change or improve. We must move forward as our industry and the industries impacting ours evolve. This is why I got involved at the national level.

While I hope you get involved for the betterment of the society and to protect our profession, some will choose to get involved because it helps their business, and that’s OK, too. Being involved is a great marketing tool. I told everyone about my involvement and used it as an opportunity to promote ASHI. At the same time, I was indirectly promoting myself. My involvement gave me a lot of credentials that helped open doors that may otherwise not have opened. When potential referral sources and clients found out I was respected enough to be elected to serve in a leadership role by my peers, it paid off organically.

Getting More Involved

Chapter leaders should consider asking members to join micro-projects; after they’ve been involved in smaller, short-term projects, consider asking them to serve on a committee. Think of the committees as a funnel of future leaders that will fill officer and director positions on the chapter board.

The national board and committees consider the chapters as their pipeline to fill ASHI National positions. We also look to the membership at-large to populate committees, so you don’t need to be a chapter member to get involved at the national level.

You can make a difference in many ways. You can form your own ASHI meeting group, start a new chapter, or join an existing chapter. You can serve on a committee or task force and become a leader at the chapter or national level or mentor others. Getting involved helps you understand the industry’s evolving landscape.


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